Polio vaccination in Pakistan: Attacks, immunisation and protests

Published December 19, 2012
A Pakistani health worker marks an infant after immunisation with anti-polio drops an infant in a Christian colony situated in the slums of Islamabad. ? Photo by AP
A Pakistani health worker marks an infant after immunisation with anti-polio drops an infant in a Christian colony situated in the slums of Islamabad. ? Photo by AP
Bushra Arian, head of the All Pakistan Lady Health Workers Welfare Association, shouts slogan during a protest against the killing of anti-polio drive campaign workers.? Photo by Reuters
Bushra Arian, head of the All Pakistan Lady Health Workers Welfare Association, shouts slogan during a protest against the killing of anti-polio drive campaign workers.? Photo by Reuters
A worker of an anti-polio drive shouts slogans during a protest rally organized by the Vaccinators Welfare Association against the killing of her colleagues in Karachi. ? Photo by Reuters
A worker of an anti-polio drive shouts slogans during a protest rally organized by the Vaccinators Welfare Association against the killing of her colleagues in Karachi. ? Photo by Reuters
A Pakistani polio vaccination worker gives polio vaccine drops to a young girl in Peshawar. ? Photo by AFP
A Pakistani polio vaccination worker gives polio vaccine drops to a young girl in Peshawar. ? Photo by AFP
Pakistani polio vaccination workers shout slogans against the killing of their colleagues during a protest in Islamabad. ? Photo by AP
Pakistani polio vaccination workers shout slogans against the killing of their colleagues during a protest in Islamabad. ? Photo by AP
Pakistani polio vaccination workers shout slogans against the killing of their colleagues during a protest in Karachi. ? Photo by AFP
Pakistani polio vaccination workers shout slogans against the killing of their colleagues during a protest in Karachi. ? Photo by AFP
A woman from the All Pakistan Lady Health Workers Welfare Association draws crosses over an anti-polio drive poster, signalling a boycott of the ongoing campaign due to security concerns. ? Photo by Reuters
A woman from the All Pakistan Lady Health Workers Welfare Association draws crosses over an anti-polio drive poster, signalling a boycott of the ongoing campaign due to security concerns. ? Photo by Reuters
A Pakistani polio vaccination worker gives polio vaccine drops to a young girl in Peshawar. ? Photo by AFP
A Pakistani polio vaccination worker gives polio vaccine drops to a young girl in Peshawar. ? Photo by AFP
A Pakistani injured polio worker is treated at a local hospital in Peshawar. ? Photo by AP
A Pakistani injured polio worker is treated at a local hospital in Peshawar. ? Photo by AP
A policeman takes part in an operation against the suspected killers of anti-polio workers in Sohrab Goth area in Karachi. ? Photo by Reuters
A policeman takes part in an operation against the suspected killers of anti-polio workers in Sohrab Goth area in Karachi. ? Photo by Reuters

Three workers in a polio eradication campaign were shot in Pakistan on Wednesday, and two of them were killed, the latest in an unprecedented string of attacks over the past three days that has partially halted the UN-backed campaign.

The United Nations in Pakistan has pulled all staff involved in the campaign off the streets.

The government said immunisation was continuing in some areas without UN support although many workers refused to go out. Women health workers held protests in Karachi and Islamabad. – Photos by AFP, AP and Reuters

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